President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has defended the administration’s economic performance, pointing to the backing of 33 state governors, declining food prices and what he described as renewed interest from foreign investors.
Onanuga made the remarks in a social media post on Friday while responding to a video shared by Arise TV on X featuring Obafemi George, a member of the Media and Strategic Communications Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council.
The presidential aide criticised television presenters for questioning the impact of Tinubu’s economic policies since he took office in 2023.
He accused them of repeatedly advancing the opposition’s position that the country had recorded no meaningful improvement under the current administration.
Onanuga also challenged the presenters’ reported scepticism about National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data indicating a slowdown in inflation, suggesting that they visit local markets to assess changes in commodity prices.
“TV anchors keep pushing the opposition’s narrative that nothing has changed, positively, indeed, massively, since 2023. Their position has become so ridiculous that they keep parroting the old narrative, and now they question the NBS data on receding inflation. I will advise them to revisit the markets,” he wrote.
Citing the cost of rice as an example, he claimed that a bag which previously sold for approximately N120,000 was now available for less than N50,000.
He added that the price had dropped to N45,000 in his hometown.
Beyond food prices, Onanuga identified Nigeria’s foreign reserves, improved access to foreign exchange for businesses and the ability of Nigerians to use naira-denominated cards for transactions abroad as indicators of progress under Tinubu’s leadership.
He further claimed that the country’s foreign reserves were nearing $60 billion, arguing that businesses were now better positioned to obtain foreign exchange for importing essential raw materials and equipment.
The presidential aide also rejected suggestions that the return of foreign investors was largely driven by portfolio investments. He maintained that foreign direct investment was contributing capital to the economy and supporting job creation.
